It’s official: Denver will become the first city in the United States to legalize the use of marijuana in social settings such as bars, cafes and restaurants.
Residents of the Mile High City voted in favor of Initiative 300, a measure that will allow businesses to acquire city-issued permits to create “cannabis consumption areas.”
It took more than a week after the election to announce the victory because of the tight vote. But as of Wednesday, support for the initiative is at 53 percent with about 5,000 votes to be counted.
The new law will allow private businesses to establish designated areas for adults to consume marijuana — with a few exceptions:
Customers will have to supply their own cannabis. The businesses cannot sell it.
Smoking will not be allowed inside the premises, but vaporizing will.
Outdoor patio smoking may be allowed.
Locations must receive the approval of neighbors.
“This is a victory for cannabis consumers who, like alcohol consumers, simply want the option to enjoy cannabis in social settings,” Kayvan Khalatbari, lead proponent of the initiative. “This is a victory for the city of Denver, its diverse neighborhoods and those who don’t consume cannabis, as it will reduce the likelihood that adults will resort to consuming in public.” Khalatbari said Denver businesses could start opening their doors to cannabis enthusiasts by late January.
Colorado became the first state to allow for recreational marijuana sales on January 1, 2o13. But the law was unclear about public use. Tourists coming to Colorado have no problem purchasing cannabis products, but often struggled to find a place to consume it. The new law will provide places for tourists and residents alike.
“This is about personal responsibility and respecting adults who want to have a place to enjoy cannabis,” Emmett Reistroffer, a Denver marijuana consultant told the Associated Press.
Here’s a shocker: Texas lawmakers are fighting to decriminalize marijuana next year. Yes, Texas.
The American South — and Texas in particular — has always been a bit late to the party when it comes to marijuana legislation and enforcement. For years, the punishment for possession is harsher in Southern states than anywhere else in the nation.
And Texas is currently one of the most egregious for marijuana offenders. Possession of even a small amount (up to two ounces) is considered a misdemeanor that can land you behind bars for six months and a fine of $2,000.
But the tide is turning. And in 2017, all eyes will be on the Lone Star State.
Here’s A Look At The Various Plans That Have Been Filed:
House Bill 58 by state Rep. James White, R-Woodville, will create a specialty court for certain first-time marijuana possession offenders based on the principle that first-time defendants are often self-correcting. The measure is intended to conserve law enforcement and corrections resources.
State Rep. Joseph Moody, D-El Paso, filed House Bill 81, which aims to replace criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana with a civil fine of up to $250. The bill also allows Texans to avoid arrest and possible jail time for possessing a small amount of marijuana.
State Rep. Harold Dutton Jr., D-Houston, filed House Bill 82, which aims to classify a conviction for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana as a Class C misdemeanor instead of Class B. However, if a person is convicted three times, it would revert back to a Class B misdemeanor.
State Sen. José Rodríguez filed Senate Joint Resolution 17, which will allow voters to decide whether marijuana should be legalized in Texas, following the pattern of a number of states.
Senate Joint Resolution 18, also authored by Rodríguez, will allow voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for medical use if recommended by a healthcare provider.
Rodríguez also filed Senate Bill 170, which will change possession of one ounce or less of marijuana from a criminal offense to a civil one.
Will More Red States Decriminalize Marijuana?
Texas is not the only southern state changing its tune. On Election Day, Arkansas and Florida both voted in favor of medical marijuana programs.
“This is a major tipping point,” said Tom Angell of Florida’s vote. “With Florida’s decision, a majority of states in the U.S. now have laws allowing patients to find relief with medical marijuana, and these protections and programs are no longer concentrated in certain regions of the country like the West and Northeast.”
With Texas and Florida, the two most influential states in the South getting on board the cannabis train, it appears likely that the entire region will soon catch up.
“Most states outside the South already have legal medical marijuana, but the overwhelming victory today in Florida is likely to accelerate the momentum for reform throughout the region,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the drug reform group Drug Policy Alliance.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has indicated that he is opposed to these measures, so the battle is far from over.
Within our hyper-accelerated news culture, it can be tough to keep up with everything. But maintaining an informed populace remains vital to our culture. So for those stories that don’t quite need your undivided attention, we’re helping you digest stuff with GIFS, pics, and whatever qualifies as a quick fix. Remember: Knowing is half the battle. The other half: Laughing at funny memes.
Taylor Swift might make a hip-hop/R&B album
Poke around the internet long enough and you’re sure to stumble into an outlandish story you’re praying isn’t true. The fake and real blur online, especially with the news. Mark Zuckerberg knows that. But thankfully rumors aren’t always true. Some rumors surface, causing a stir, and are never heard from again. Some rumors never trend.
Then there is a rumor like the following: Taylor Swift’s next album will be “a real mix of edgier hip-hop and R&B sounds.” Please allow us to walk you through the normal reaction to such an announcement.
That answer is complicated. The (are these scare quotes big enough?) “news” that Taylor Swift is going hip-hop comes to us from British tabloid The Sun. Chances are you’re suspicious. You should be.
But everyone has already ran with it, at least entertaining that it’s a possibility. In other words, yes, a universe exists in which Swift becomes a (gulp) sensual, crooning R&B sanger and another where (gulp again) Taylor Swift raps. A third universe exists where these two universes collide and that’s what we call the apocalypse.
Yes she has. Back in 2009, still a country sweetheart, Swift attempted her first big crossover. It was a song called “Thug Story,” a rap parody of her hit song “Love Story.” In it, Swift jokily raps, “I’m so gangsta you can find me baking cookies at night / You out clubbing? Well I just made caramel delight.”
Wait, why aren’t you laughing?
Anyways, another piece of information you need in your life: As a rapper, she called herself T-Sweezy. You’re welcome.
An ongoing theory made up by me 30 seconds ago is that Taylor has been exploring a hip-hop image for some time now. Following the mega-success she found after ditching country and going pop on 2014’s enormous 1989 record, she wanted to make another big move. What’s bigger than pop music? Nothing. But the biggest genre after that? Hip-hop, duh. So Taylor flirted with the possibilities of a new image through her 1989 music videos.
Exhibit A is the above GIF from her “Shake it Off” music video. Here, you can see the young Taylor crawling through twerking booties, really digging into the thickness of it all, learning what rap’s all about. She’s literally exploring what being hip-hop means. Say what you want about Tay Tay—“something, something loose appropriation”—but she really trusts the process.
Below is Exhibit B, cut from her (“iconic” doesn’t mean anything anymore) iconic music video “Bad Blood.” Just try not to says she’s not ready to create those “urban sounds” now.
Now you’re asking the important questions. This rumor was built on another rumor that is certainly PG, but should be rated NC-17: Taylor Swift and Drake might be dating. Yes, I’ll wait for you clean that puke off your screen. Good? Okay: Drake invited Taylor Swift to his 30th birthday party and introduced her to his mother and inner circle, sparking up the rumor mill.
Apparently it’s Drake who has been helping Taylor explore these hip hop and rap sounds, potentially collaborating on some tracks together. If this is true, these records will be wholly insufferable and you will hear them approximately 70 times a day. Even if you go off the grid, drones will fly by, blasting these songs, because a “Draylor” (yep, that’s we’re calling them) collaboration will be inescapable. So. You excited?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the hardest-working men in Hollywood. He has saved many franchises and will save many more. He is also the highest-paid actor in the world, according to Forbes.
Now, People magazine named Dwayne Johnson “The Sexiest Man Alive.” It is an accolade wholly earned, and fully meaningless.
This is not the first time The Rock has earned such supreme honors. Throughout his career, he’s earned so many superlatives, you possibly forgot a few. Here is a quick look back.
When the world knew The Rock was my favorite person:
Yesterday morning, an emu made a daring escape from a farm in Haymarket, Virginia. The lanky bird’s taste of freedom was unfortunately brief, as local police were able to recapture it without incident.
While emus are sometimes aggressive, a spokesman for the Prince Williams County police department told the Washington Post that this particular one was calm, perhaps because of his hopefully glorious time outside of confinement.
“It was pretty docile,” Prince William County police spokesman Jonathan Perok said.
Birds On The Run
The emu was one of several that tried to escape. The Prince William County police department tweeted: “Several EMUs tried to make a break for it this morning but were apprehended near Chimneys West Drive by Officers Fields and Stoll. Thankfully foot pursuits were not necessary although the radio traffic would have been #Emusing. (No emus or officers were harmed in the making of this spectacle)”
On his ABC special last night, David Blaine shocked and disgusted Steph Curry, Drake, and Dave Chappelle by making…well, we won’t spoil it for you until later. But the gross and fantastic “trick” wasn’t the first time Blaine has awed a celebrity with one of his mind-boggling illusions. Below are the five best times the magician has blown a famous person’s mind.
5. Jimmy Fallon and the Roots
On The Tonight Show last week, Blaine assured Fallon, Questlove, Captain Kirk Douglas, and Black Thought that he would keep things simple. He then, of course, preceded to send Fallon into fits of of nervous, unbelieving laughter with a series of card tricks before completely shocking everyone by coughing up a live frog that’d apparently been inside his stomach for the entire 10-minute segment.
4. Snoop Dogg and Anna Farris
At the afterparty for one of his live performances, Blaine sends Snoop’s mind up in smoke with a series of card tricks. Anna Farris is also there, watching on in surprise.
3. Serena Williams
“I’m kind of scared of magic tricks,” the tennis legend says at the beginning of the clip. By the end of the trick, we learn that she was right to be wary of Blaine and his kind.
2. Drake, Dave Chappelle, and Steph Curry
For this “trick,” Blaine essentially expanded on his finale on The Tonight Show by regurgitating not one, not two, but three live frogs from his stomach. While it’s a similar trick to the one he pulled on Fallon and the Roots, the reactions of Drake, Chappelle, and Curry make it much more entertaining.
“Think of any card in the deck,” Blaine tells a clearly suspicious Ford at the beginning of what you’ll soon see was the greatest celebrity magic trick of all time. The card, of course, goes missing from the deck and ends up in an insanely unlikely and unbelievable spot. Ford’s reaction once the card’s location is revealed is amazing. “Get the fuck out my house,” he tells Blaine. “Whoa.”
Musicians are some of the most insightful and creative individuals you’ll meet and that doesn’t stop when it comes to cannabis. Check out seven different marijuana pro-tips and tricks courtesy of artists ranging from Neil Young to Snoop Dogg.
In an interview with Howard Stern, legendary musician Neil Young revealed that he occasionally smokes cannabis, but offered a pro-tip for anyone who, like him, also suffers from paranoia when they smoke. “Try black pepper balls if you get paranoid,” he said. “Just chew two or three pieces. I just found this out myself. Try it.”
Justin Timberlake Smokes Pot When He Wants to Step Outside His Head
A photo posted by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on
Pop superstar Justin Timberlake told Playboy that he utilizes marijuana in order to actually slow down and take time when he needs it.
“The only thing pot does for me is it gets me to stop thinking,” he said. “Sometimes I have a brain that needs to be turned off. Some people are just better high.”
Wiz Khalifa Rolls Joints With Filters Because That’s How the Canadians Do It
In an interview with Esquire, rapper Wiz Khalifa explained that he always rolled papers without a filter … until he traveled to his neighbors to the north.
“That’s where I learned to roll with the crutch,” he told Esquire. “I don’t know exactly the real reason they used filters. It was like, ‘You have to roll every joint with a filter.’”
But then again, he also conceded that sometimes it’s nice to roll up without a filter in order to taste the herb. So, it’s up to you!
B-Real Packs Weed Inside of Hash to Make “Giggle Sticks”
Cypress Hill and B-Real have been on the forefront of marijuana advocacy and innovation for decades. If you’re looking for something a little different to smoke, look no further than B-Real’s “giggle stick,” a joint that uses delicate hash instead of rolling papers.
B-Real even made a video showing how his favorite canna-hash concoction is created.
Snoop Dogg Always Passes The Dutchie On The Left Hand Side
Snoop has many weed rules, including, “Always pass the Dutchie on the left hand side.” Additional golden tid-bits include “if you got weed offer to throw in” and “Always say thank u.” Abide by those and you will find yourself welcome next to him.
Cooking is Incredible After You’ve Smoked According To Action Bronson
A photo posted by Action Bronson (@bambambaklava) on
Rapper, TV star, and former chef Action Bronson is a proponent of cooking after getting a little high. As for what exactly you should be cooking? “The weed tells you what to do,” he told BroBible.
Whether it’s a rack of ribs or a slice of pizza, the inspiration will come to you in the moment, according to Bronson. If you’re trying to eat healthy like him though, raw almonds are the snack of choice for when you get the munchies — they might make your mouth dry, but at least they won’t ride up the calorie count.
A photo posted by Willie Nelson (@willienelsonofficial) on
The question of how to ingest cannabis is a very personal one and one that can evolve over time as preferences change and new products come onto the market. For Willie Nelson, though he is a notorious smoker, he decided to make the change to a vaporizer.
The famed artist told Uncut Magazine: “I enjoy smoking. But I use a vaporizer these days; they’re better for your voice and lungs. There’s no smoke and heat on it. Even though marijuana smoke is not as bad as cigarette smoke, any time you put any kind of smoke in your lungs it takes a toll of some kind.”
So you’re attending your very first Friendsgiving — or your 581st one, and are burned out on bringing the same mac and cheese dish every year. The time-honored tradition of spending as much time as possible eating comfort food while surrounded by your friends, in preparation of the real thing: Spending a full day of forced interaction with your mildly racist uncle and cousins who believe weed is the devil’s plant.
For this important event, don’t cop out with a bottle of wine or that potato salad everyone knows came from Trader Joe’s. Bring one of these much-needed but often-overlooked items to Thanksgiving dinner with your chosen friend-family, and be the hero they need.
If you own a roomy vehicle and can get your hands on some space lawn chairs, your own dining room chairs, or your neighbor’s porch couch on loan, do so. As long as you have the go-ahead from the host, the surplus seating will probably be appreciated once everyone’s crowding in. But be ready to clear it out at the end of the night, or at the first sign of a dance party starting.
No, not for post-turkey nap time (although that’s an option). If you can’t imagine lugging a set of dining room chairs to the party, offering to bring a quilt or cushions could solve a serious space problem. Many cultures cozy up on the floor picnic-style for meals or social gathering. It’s a way to break the ice and keeps people from congregating in the kitchen, searching for surface area to put down a drink while they pick up a fork.
Your hosts might be too busy planning and cooking and cleaning and managing invitations to take on the task of music, but once you’re all in the room with the sound of your own chewing, you’ll wish someone had thought ahead. Loaning a wireless speaker to the occasion is a level-up from last-minute attempts at getting someone’s laptop speakers to play at a decent volume.
Leave your guitar at home — seriously, do not be that guy — and plan ahead with a crowd-pleasing Friendsgiving playlist, instead. Bonus points if you organize a collaborative playlist and invite guests to add their own bangers. For inspiration, check out our latest Fresh Playlist.
The food is the star of the show, but if there are three too many casseroles to go around and everyone’s claimed up all of the booze-bringing duties, showing up with a bouquet of fresh flowers is a classy way to contribute. It’ll also leave a nice pick-me-up for the host, who’s gonna have a million dishes to do in the morning.
If it’s a small party, making it BYO-Tableware is an easy way to avoid killing our already compromised environment any more with paper plates. If you and your roommates happen to have way too many pieces of silverware, plates, and cereal bowls to count, bring them along — or offer to stop by a thrift store on your way and pick up an eclectic mix of table settings pre-party. Wash, dry, and re-donate them the next day; think of it as rental for tableware.
If you have an overflowing cabinet of storage containers, extra takeout boxes, and plastic bowls from too many thai curry takeout nights. Load these into a bag and bring them to the gathering to stash extra food at the end of the night. Leftovers, after all, are the whole point of Thanksgiving dinner.
Some more statistics have been released on the mysterious sub-culture known as millennials. Turns out, they not only love to Instagram their food, but they avoid ugly food. Sorry, food, that was cold, how about handsome-challenged?
Okay, that’s just a hypothesis, but a strong one, nonetheless. Here’s why.
The Wall Street Journal did some math and found out that only 1 in 5 millennials has ever tried a Big Mac from McDonald’s. The Golden Arches are losing out to competing chains that offer gourmet burgers, like Shake Shack and In-N-Out. And what do those two companies have in common? Good looking burgers. For comparison, here are two Shake Shack burgers:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLgHTyGDdvy/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLZ1nw6DspY/
Here are two In-N-Out Burgers:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLSGb9Lg9j2/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLEkmXCDMGe/
And here are two McDonald’s burgers (on a good day):
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKlYpSbDszZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/8NCqpZp_gJ/
Which would you rather brag about on social media?
McDonald’s USA President Mike Andres realizes this:
We have to nail it. How do we deliver the best burger at the speed of McDonald’s and, ultimately, at the value you’d expect from McDonald’s? That’s what we’re working towards.
The WSJ reports that the company is testing new grinds of beef, buns and toppings to improve on taste. They’ve even returned to using butter instead of margarine in the Egg McMuffin and have removed artificial ingredients in the Chicken McNuggets. Two brand new Big Macs are set to debut next year: the large Grand Mac and the smaller sized Mac Jr.
That’s all great and everything, but a word of advice to McDonald’s: the way to a millennial’s heart is to MAKE YOUR FOOD LOOK GOOD! And maybe lose the clown.
It’s a forever problem: How do I sit here and shovel ice cream into my face without ice cream? Hold tight, because this age old dilemma has finally been solved. Now, you can make ice cream without one of those expensive mixer things. You can make it with…salt!
“Freeze a salt block in the coldest part of the freezer overnight,” says Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker of Salt & Straw. “This chunk of salt (ed note: he’s fond of this brand) gets collllllld—like too cold to hold with your fingers—so be sure to use oven gloves. Pour a pool of sweetened cream on the block of salt and, using a metal spatula, slowly scrape the frozen cream off of the salt block. It’s like scrambling eggs.”
Tyler Malek Photo by Leela Cyd Ross
Another hack:
“Let your ice cream get to a soft serve texture and then mix in melted chocolate; pour it in and stir it quickly. It’s a stracciatella effect, the chocolate hardens in a way that releases chocolate flavor significantly faster as you eat the ice cream. Delicious!”
Here are some more DIY ice cream toppings from our new BFF Tyler that you probably thought were way more complicated to make.
Chocolate Magic Shell: Melt a really nice chocolate with a little coconut oil to make homemade magic shell. It’s magic! Top with sprinkles or homemade candied nuts.
Candied Apples: Make a sugar syrup using about ½ c water + ½ c apple juice + 1Tbsp Lemon Juice + ½ c sugar; slices apples thin and uniform and store in the syrup overnight. These make the perfect topping for a good vanilla ice cream, maybe crumble some ritz crackers & cinnamon on top… As an adult bonus: the leftover juice makes the perfect syrup to combine with a bit of brandy & bourbon.
Candied Hazelnuts & Honey: Make a simple syrup of ¾ c sugar + ½ cup hot water. Toss chopped hazelnuts in the syrup and then dry them in the oven at about 350F. Once the nuts have dried, candied, and cooled, use as a topping for ice cream combining with a drizzle of fresh honey.
Pear & Blue Cheese: I promise this is a good one! Chop a fresh pear into ¼” cubes and store them in a syrup (of 1 part water + 1 part sugar) overnight in the refrigerator. Sprinkle the pears and a pinch of crumbled blue cheese on top of the ice cream… I definitely recommend Rogue Creamery’s Crater Lake Blue Cheese.
Graham Cracker Crunch: Toss graham cracker pieces with melted butter, sugar & a little salt (maybe some cinnamon…). Bake until crunchy. Put a spoonful of this delicious treat with a handful of fresh berries on top of ice cream for the perfect summer treat!
